TheHdStandard - Video Broadcasting News By EyePartner » Hardware/software solutions for streaming

InstantAction – streaming video games live?

Catalin — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:33:25 +0000

InstantAction recently launched an innovative way to play and share video games online. Their new platform allows users to instantly play and embed video games as you usually do with YouTube videos. This way you don’t need to download any content on your computer then install: the games are embedded into different supported browsers after you created a profile and logged in. The games seems like they are live streams but actually your computer’s hardware is doing the trick.

A similar service has been launched by OnLIVE and at that time I wrote a REVIEW about how the solution works. But OnLIVE is different because all the processing is done on their servers then the stream is pushed back into a video player.

The Secret of Monkey Island is the first game running with InstantAction and you can see in the following video how you can embed it on Facebook. You can play it for about 20 minutes then you are being asked to purchase the full game and seems like this model will apply for the further releases.

InstantAction says the platform is very fast and you can play 2 or 3 GB games using a 5Mbps internet connection without experiencing lag problems or waiting to download the entire game. For the moment only PC owners can use it as the Mac version is not supported yet. Developers may be very happy with this service: they can charge for premium games or add time limited trials to promote their work. Here is Louis Castle (InstantAction CEO) talking about the concept:

So what do you think about this ? Seems like the online gaming industry has more potential than we ever imagined as a lot of new developments are still to come.

Catalin
Professional Streaming Consultant

Netflix and ABC streaming videos on the iPad

Catalin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:58:07 +0000

Not much since the iPad has been officialy released and streaming apps are already available. Mobile TV and movies can be instantly accessed using Netflix or ABC. For the first one you actually need an unlimited membership to be able to view the content.

The interface is pretty simple, not many design customization have been made. When you open the app the login page looks exactly as the Netflix’s login page on their website. Once you are in it is easy to navigate as the screen displays basicaly a Watch Instantly style page where you select the videos from a browser. This makes us think why not an iPhone and iPod similar app? Maybe we will get the answer soon.

Netflix video player on the iPad

See below Netflix’s streaming application to understand better how it works. The loading time is short and the app handles the stream really good over a broadband WiFi connection:

ABC Player allows you to access full episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, LOST or Modern Family. Features such as schedule or viewing history allows you to stop watch the stream then resume it from the point where you left it. Even if the app looks better than Netflix’s I’ve seen far less video titles available to stream and I can say it’s a little inconvenient as newer episodes of their featured shows are not there.

ABC video player on the iPad

And now the video demoing the ABC streaming application:

What do you think about these two brand new applications ? Will you rather use Netflix on iPad rather than your TV ? I am looking forward to your comments here.

FLO TV adds video on demand and pay per view

Mihaela — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:22:07 +0000

NAB Show comes this year with a lot of news and the last one is about FLO TV. This is a service streaming TV programs to mobile devices. They announced at the event that it’s mobile TV service will be improved by adding new capabilities. This way video footage can be integrated with Web content and social media applications. The decision comes as the viewers are a lot attracted by interactivity while watching online videos.

Here is a short statement from the official press release:

“With consumers’ mobile entertainment habits evolving rapidly, FLO TV will be integrating its current live linear video with relevant, on-demand content and interactive features that complement the programming viewers are watching in real-time,” said Bill Stone, president of FLO TV.

What exactly is this new service include? They want to offer something new in the live streaming industry by offering time-shifting (users will be able to watch the streams like in a DVR, basically a video on demand service), pay per day (offering pay as you go capabilities so users can watch videos without actually having a monthly subscription) and pay per view. Read more about the pay per view concept HERE.

See below Michael Vorel from ProjectGadget reviewing the 3.5″ FLO TV portable television.

We shall see if the upcoming improvements will change something in their popularity and users will rather choose this solution instead of the free TV broadcasts on mobile devices (soon available). FLO TV expects to release these features in the second part of 2010.

The most important thing we need to know is what devices will actually support the service. I think they need to cover the major smartphones platforms to increase the audience and not limit it to feature phones.

Stroome – Online Video Editing

Tom — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:19:09 +0000

Online video editing is now available via Stroome, which started with a beta version this week. The project is an extension of what Kaltura started some time ago on their platform with the difference that the video editor has community tools and users can remix other videos uploaded by different users. Check out the video presentation:

What exactly is Stroome ? This concept allows subscribers to upload content then mix it with photos, audio and video file using a video editor. The result can be saved as a separate project then posted online to a restricted group (only friends will be able to view it) or visible to all Stroome members. I have tested and seems like social networks sharing is allowed and video sharing websites will be the next challenge for them as the feature is not supported yet.

Here are some pictures in my dashboard after creating a test project:

Picture 1: Dashboard

Picture 2: My Test Project

Picture 3: Video Editor

The solution will be free for the moment but if you need additional storage (users are able to upload 10GB for free) or HD quality you have to sign up for a premium account. Nothing about the price yet but seems like it will be a good alternative to Final Cut Pro. I see a little competition here. USC Annenberg school is one of the premium subscribers using Stroome in their classrooms and for the cable channel they run in the campus.

I am looking forward to Wednesday’s release to see what is going to happen and if the solution will be successful.

CastOven – streaming on a microwave ?

Tom — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:06:14 +0000

Japanese researchers are really innovative and as we already know they launched a lot of weird devices and software solutions. This time it’s about kitchen appliances. Keio University is the place where CastOven has been created. But what is CastOven? Well it is a microwave, but not an usual one. The researchers added a 10.4 inch LCD to it being able to play Internet streams.

So while waiting for your food to be ready, you can actually access YouTube content. Running Adobe Air it pulls videos via your Internet connection and can pick a video according to the selected cooking time. The device comes with preinstalled speakers and it is compatible with Macs and PCs.

The device is built using a special Adobe AIR application that pulls the videos via YouTube’s API. This is the technical scheme of the entire concept:

Here is the video demo of CastOven:

CastOven is not officialy released on the market yet but the creators are looking forward to make it a real hit. What do you think about this ? Will you replace your usual machine with this unconventional microwave ?

Knocking Live brings live streaming to Android

Admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:56:44 +0000

Knocking Live Video, first launched for the iPhone is now ready for the Android. At the beginning the application was not officially approved due to a private API the solution was using. Finnaly Pointy Heads Software made it and with the new version you can actually do phone to phone live streaming using two different devices: the iPhone and the Android.

Here is the first app for the iPhone being presented:

Using 3G technology and Wi Fi networks one can broadcast live video from his Android to any iPhone in the network. All you need to do is to get the app, install it and set your account. Then you will be able to browse all your friends who are in the network and send them a request to start broadcasting. Once they get the invitation they have to approve it in order to receive the video feed.

This is how the app looks like on the device:

“We’ve had enormous success as the only phone-to-phone 3G video app on the iPhone. Knocking just keeps on growing. We’re excited to debut on Android, and to let Android users interact with iPhone users in ways they haven’t ever been able to before” said Jim Montalto from Pointy Heads Software.

Here is the Android demo:

The new version of Knocking LIVE allows users to also browse other profiles and access forums to share their experiences with the community. The server capacity is improved and now the load times are faster and peer to peer connections are possible. Read more about what a peer to peer connection is HERE.

Since the iPhone app had 13,000 downloads a day I am looking forward to see what will happen with the Android version.

HDVP-2 HD Media Player – network streaming

Catalin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:53:08 +0000

Nationite will release a new device capable to push 1080p video and with network streaming capabilities. It may be a cheap and fast way to get PC content out to your TV. HDVP-2 HD Media Player includes a few great features such as HDMI, Component and Composite video output support, USB port, card reader. The solution is in the final phase of development but the official version will include them all. As for audio formats it supports AC3, MP3, FLAC and Ogg Vorbis audio.

A LAN port and another USB Wi Fi dongle (purchased separately) allows one to stream videos, audio and images across the network. Check the video below for a complete guide:

More about 1080p can be found HERE and a full review regarding video connections such as HDMI, composite and component can be found HERE.

And here is a full demo showing how the box works: you basically connect the box to a TV, then stream over Wi-Fi your media content.

Here are a few snapshots:

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

MP4Nation will offer the Nationite HDVP-2 box under $100, with the mention that a compatible WiFi dongle will be sold separately.

A similar solution we recently presented can be found in the following TUTORIAL.

Catalin
Professional Streaming Consultant